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The nesting
instinct will be in full swing as you get close to the end
of your pregnancy. Week 38 is one in which women start cleaning
with a frenzy, doing laundry and making sure that everything
is in readiness for the baby. You may wonder why you don feel
like this during the rest of the year when you just hate to
tackle all the housework. This is a natural part of nearing
the end of your pregnancy and you are likely to go into labour
at any time. Pregnancies usually last for 40 weeks, but births
after 37 weeks are considered to be full-term. It is quite
possible that your doctor has informed you that the baby is
in the proper position and that you are ready to give birth.
You may
start to experience swelling of your feet. This is quite normal,
but if the swelling is excessive or spreads to your hands
and face, you should contact your doctor. It could mean that
you are retaining fluid or that you have toxaemia or hypertension.
Doctors like to really check on an expectant mother blood
pressure levels during the latter stages of pregnancy. When
your blood pressure increases, you do retain water and there
is protein in your urine. If the doctor thinks the baby is
developed enough, which it is at 38 weeks, he/she may induce
labour to deliver the baby as soon as possible.
During
the last few weeks of pregnancy there is no one weight or
size for a baby in the uterus. Some may still be quite small
and others may be 10 pounds or more. The average size of baby
at 38 weeks is about 6 to 7 pounds and between 17 to 20 inches
in length. Even though the baby is positioned head down in
the birth canal, it is still continuing to grow. You may not
feel as much movement as you did in the earlier weeks because
there is not as much room for the baby to move around. However,
you will still feel movement and kicks.
The baby
has moved down lower, or dropped, and this means that you
are a bit more comfortable when taking a deep breath. You
no longer feel as if you have a huge basketball under your
ribs. At the same time, your belly has really expanded and
you may find it hard to get up once you sit in a soft chair,
such as a sofa chair. When you stand, you won be able to see
your feet and unless you wear slip on footwear, you will need
someone to tie your laces or buckle your shoes for you. At
night you will likely have difficulty getting rest because
you feel uncomfortable when you lie down and you find it hard
to turn over in bed. One solution many women say helped them
with this is wearing silk or satin pyjamas that slides easily
over the bed linens when you want to turn in the bed.
For more
information on pregnancy visit http://www.Pregnancy-WeekbyWeek.info
Article
Author: Ling Tong
Article
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/
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